Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 105
God’s Faithfulness to His People
1 Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His name;
proclaim His deeds among the peoples.(A)
2 Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;
tell about all His wonderful works!(B)
3 Honor His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.(C)
4 Search for the Lord and for His strength;
seek His face always.(D)
5 Remember the wonderful works He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,[a](E)
6 you offspring of Abraham His servant,
Jacob’s descendants—His chosen ones.(F)
7 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments govern the whole earth.(G)
8 He remembers His covenant forever,
the promise He ordained
for a thousand generations(H)—
9 the covenant He made with Abraham,
swore[b] to Isaac,(I)
10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree
and to Israel as an everlasting covenant:(J)
11 “I will give the land of Canaan to you
as your inherited portion.”(K)
12 When they were few in number,
very few indeed,
and temporary residents in Canaan,(L)
13 wandering from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another,(M)
14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:(N)
15 “Do not touch My anointed ones,(O)
or harm My prophets.”(P)
16 He called down famine against the land
and destroyed the entire food supply.(Q)
17 He had sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.(R)
18 They hurt his feet with shackles;
his neck was put in an iron collar.(S)
19 Until the time his prediction came true,
the word of the Lord tested him.(T)
20 The king sent for him and released him;
the ruler of peoples set him free.(U)
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all his possessions(V)—
22 binding[c] his officials at will
and instructing his elders.(W)
23 Then Israel went to Egypt;
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.[d](X)
24 The Lord[e] made His people very fruitful;
He made them more numerous than their foes,(Y)
25 whose hearts He turned to hate His people
and to deal deceptively with His servants.(Z)
26 He sent Moses His servant,
and Aaron, whom He had chosen.(AA)
27 They performed His miraculous signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.[f](AB)
28 He sent darkness, and it became dark—
for did they not defy[g] His commands?(AC)
29 He turned their water into blood
and caused their fish to die.(AD)
30 Their land was overrun with frogs,
even in their royal chambers.(AE)
31 He spoke, and insects came(AF)—
gnats throughout their country.(AG)
32 He gave them hail for rain,
and lightning throughout their land.(AH)
33 He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their territory.(AI)
34 He spoke, and locusts came—
young locusts without number.
35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land
and consumed the produce of their land.(AJ)
36 He struck all the firstborn in their land,
all their first progeny.(AK)
37 Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and no one among His tribes stumbled.(AL)
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
for the dread of Israel[h] had fallen on them.(AM)
39 He spread a cloud as a covering
and gave a fire to light up the night.(AN)
40 They asked, and He brought quail
and satisfied them with bread from heaven.(AO)
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a stream in the desert.(AP)
42 For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.(AQ)
43 He brought His people out with rejoicing,
His chosen ones with shouts of joy.(AR)
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited
what other peoples had worked for.(AS)
45 All this happened
so that they might keep His statutes
and obey His instructions.(AT)
Hallelujah!
Fifth Vision: Gold Lampstand
4 The angel who was speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep. 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”
I replied, “I see a solid gold lampstand there with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven channels for each of[a] the lamps on its top. 3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
4 Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 “Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me.
I said, “No, my lord.”
6 So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’(A) says the Lord of Hosts. 7 ‘What are you, great mountain?(B) Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain.(C) And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!’”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me:(D) 9 “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house,(E) and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. 10 For who scorns the day of small things?(F) These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line[b] in Zerubbabel’s hand.”(G)
11 I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” 12 And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold conduits, from which golden oil pours out?”
13 Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.
14 “These are the two anointed ones,”[c](H) he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”(I)
Living the New Life
17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity(A) with a desire for more and more.[a]
20 But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, 21 assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth(B) is in Jesus. 22 You took off[b](C) your former way of life,(D) the old self[c](E) that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed[d] in the spirit(F) of your minds; 24 you put on[e](G) the new self, the one created(H) according to God’s likeness(I) in righteousness and purity of the truth.
25 Since you put away(J) lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor,(K)[f] because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin.(L)[g] Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the Devil an opportunity. 28 The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share(M) with anyone in need. 29 No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need,[h] so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit.(N) You were sealed by Him[i] for the day of redemption.(O) 31 All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind(P) and compassionate(Q) to one another, forgiving(R) one another, just as God also forgave you[j] in Christ.
The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
9 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.(A) 2 Just then(B) some men[a] brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”(C)
3 At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”(D)
4 But perceiving their thoughts,(E) Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b] 5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck[c][d] and gave glory(F) to God who had given such authority to men.
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